Arch support



Patented ec. 2, 1924.

EDGAR GOODRICH, 0F CHICAGO, LLINOS.

ARCH SUPPORT.

Appllcation filed September To ZZ when@ t may conce/1in.'

Beit known that l, Encan Gooniuci-I, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cookand State of lllinois, have invented new and useful Improven'ients inArch Supports, of which the following is a specification.

This invention `relates to orthopedic apparatus, and has specialreference to an arch support to be worn in a shoe for the purpose ofsupporting arches in such troubles as cases of flat feet, fallen archesand the like, as well as to aid in strengthening the weak arches. l

Heretofore it has been customary to make arch supporters of thischaracter with the portion beneath the. internal part of the archthicker than the portion beneath the external part, the idea being insuch cases to raise the hollow part of the arch.

Arch supporters constructed in this manner tend to force the middle ofthe foot outward, and in place of properly elevating the arch, they havea tendency to distort the foot laterally.

rThe principal and most important object of the present invention is toprovide an arch supporter wherein the internal portion of the arch willbelleft more or less free, while the external portion will be raised andthereby the foot will be prevented from hat! ing its central portiondistorted outwardly.

`With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists ingeneral of an arch supporter so designed and constructed as to raise theexternal portion of the foot arch without tending to shove the archlaterally.

ln the accompanying drawings like characters of reference indicate likeparts in the several views, and:

Fig. l is a bottom plan view of the improved arch supporter.

Fig. 2 is a section on the line '.2--2 ol Fig. l.

Fig. 2S is a section on the line leMl of Fig. l.

ln forming this arch supporter there is taken a strip or sheet ofmaterial., such as leather or the like, and the body of the archsupporter is formed from this strip of material by cutting the same tothe contour ofthe rear inner portion of the shoe, the forward end of thestrip terminating at the point in the shoe where the phalanges begin sothat this portion of the foot is 7, 1923. Serial No. 651,423.

left free. Such a body is indicated is general at l0, and it is to beobserved that this body has its edges bevelled all around as at llexcept at the external arch portion l2, .it being understood that Fig. lis a bottom plan view of the arch supporter lor the left-foot, and thatthe arch supporter for the right foot is complementary thereto. Thus thebody is left thicker at the external arch port-ion than at the internalarch portion. Furthermore, there is secured beneath the external archportion a strip of similar material to the body, the leatherv beingpreferred, as shown at i3. and this strip tapers from its center frontand back to a sharp edge, as can be seen in Fig. 3.

It is also preferred to position between the strip 13 and the body l0 astitlening member le, which may be of any suitable material, eithermetallic or non-metallic as the particular case may require.

Now it will be observed that an arch supporter constructed in accordancewith this invention will, when in use, elev the external portion of thearch wl ,e it normally rests upon the ground in standing, and thiswithout crowding` the saine to one side or the other. Thus bypositioningl this thickened member beneath the external portion of thearch an entirely different and superior effect is obtained from an archsupporter wherein the interior portion of the supporter is thickened.

There has thus been provided a very simple and efficient device ofthe.kind de.- scribed and for the purpose specified.

- Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, is:

An arch support consisting of a rbody formed from a sheet of n'iaterialshaped to conform to the plantar surface of the foot posterior tothetarsal portion wherebyY tol and stiifenino' stri between the narrowVstrip and the body. -v

In testimony whereof I allix my signature. i

EDGAP GOODRCH.

Sil

